Tag: Presence

51.x. Wilderness – 16.c. “Slaves, Vows, and Lending”

 

 

Deu 23:15-16  “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.

Obadiah 1:14    Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress.

Deu 23:19  “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest.

 Exodus 22:25   “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

 Luke 6:34-35   And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Deu 23:21  “If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

 Psalms 76:11    Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;

 Psalms 116:18    I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,

 Ecclesiastes 5:4-5    When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

Deu 23:24  “If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag.

 Romans 12:13     Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

 Hebrews 13:5   Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where the borrower gets, or hopes to get, it is just that the lender should share the gain; but to him that borrows for necessary food, pity must be showed. That which is gone out of thy lips, as a solemn and deliberate vow, must not be recalled, but thou shalt keep and perform it punctually and fully. They were allowed to pluck and eat of the corn or grapes that grew by the road side; only they must not carry any away. This law intimated what great plenty of corn and wine they should have in Canaan. It provided for the support of poor travellers, and teaches us to be kind to such, teaches us to be ready to distribute, and not to think every thing lost that is given away. Yet it forbids us to abuse the kindness of friends, or to take advantage of what is allowed. Faithfulness to their engagements should mark the people of God; and they should never encroach upon others. (Henry)

We have all seen warning labels on things we buy. Don’t use this electric device in water, Don’t put your hands in front of the saw blade, Don’t put this plastic bag over your head, Don’t touch the surface when it is hot, Don’t drink this, etc…. Many of these are self-evident but you have to know someone somewhere has done this. 

God knows the intent of our hearts. These miscellaneous laws are given because the intents of our hearts is known by God and our heart’s intent would naturally flow towards what God says not to do. 

 

46.b. “Wilderness” – 10.h. “The LORD bless you and keep you”

 

Num 6:24  The LORD bless you and keep you;

Psalms 91:11    For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

 Psalms 121:4   Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

 Isaiah 42:6    “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,

 John 17:11    And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

 Philippians 4:7   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 1 Thessalonians 5:23   Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 1 Peter 1:5    who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 Jude 1:24     Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

I the Lord have called thee in righteousness in a righteous way and manner, consistent with his own perfections; and not against the will of Christ, but with his full consent concerning the welfare and salvation of his people; to perform his righteous promises of his coming, and of good things by him; to show his strict vindictive justice against sin, in the punishment of it; and to bring in an everlasting righteousness for his people. As the apple of his eye, being dear unto him; from being hurt by his enemies till the time came to be delivered into their hands; and from miscarrying in his work; and from the power of the grave, so as to be long detained in it. (Barnes)

 “Thus saith God, Jehovah, who created the heavens, and stretched them out; who spread the earth, and its productions; who gave the spirit of life to the people upon it, and the breath of life to them that walk upon it: I, Jehovah, I have called thee in righteousness, and grasped thy hand; and I keep thee, and make thee the covenant of the people. The Author of all being and all life, the Creator of the heaven and the earth, says, “I will keep you”. (Keil)

Who or what can remove us from the Hand of God and His care? No one and nothing. Who or what is more powerful than God? No one and nothing. Do uncomfortable and heart hurting situations, we find ourselves experiencing, keep us from the Love and Power of God? No. When God says He will bless you and keep you, does that mean we will not experience uncomfortable and heart-hurting situations? No. It does mean the Creator of all there is and who is all-powerful, and who is all-knowing, past present, and future, will bless us and keep us.  How this manifests in the life of a believer is limitless. It may come as peace, or rest, or hope, or faith, or steadfastness, or strength, or humbleness, or love as their total reliance rests in God alone. Whatever the uncomfortable or heart-hurting situation – God is able to Keep you and Bless you.

45. “Wilderness” – 9.f. ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’

 

Exodus 33:12-17  Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

For Moses, it wasn’t enough to know that he and Israel would make it to the Promised Land. In his estimation, the Promised Land was nothing special without the special presence of the LORD. “Moses is now concerned to obtain both a guarantee of that presence for his people, and also the enjoyment of a closer experience of it for himself.” Moses was determined to have God’s presence with Israel as close as possible. Moses was bold in drawing near to God, but he based the boldness on the grace God had already shown to him. This was a good ground for drawing near. Moses was almost obsessed with God. He was still on earth, but he connected everything to God in heaven. God seemed to answer Moses’ prayer, but Moses did not rest. He continued to press God for affirmation of the promise. This shows how boldly Moses sought after God for the sake of his own relationship with God and for the benefit of the nation. 

Moses knew that nothing the LORD could give them would make them truly different from the nations. Only the strong presence of the LORD Himself could do that. Moses wanted something for Israel that would show that they were not just like all the other nations, and that could only be the unique, powerful presence of their God. “‘Now,’ said Moses to God, ‘I am asking for this something extra, because I am concerned. Here we are thy people. How are all the other nations to know that we really are your people? They are looking on at us, they are laughing at us, mocking us and jeering at us, they are ready to overwhelm us. Now, I am asking for something,’ said Moses, ‘that will make it absolutely clear that we are not just one of the nations of the world, but that we are thy people, that we are separate, unique, altogether apart.’” God honored the bold intercession of Moses, and He promised to restore His relationship with Israel. (Guzik)

Do we seek and desire to know the promises of God? Do we proclaim them in our prayer(s)? Do we honor and glorify God by speaking to Him about His promises? Do we trust His promises? Do we rely on His Promises? Do we believe them without a doubt? 

If the answer is “yes” then all of our days will be filled with awe and wonder at the grace and mercy He has given, and our lives will be lived so that honor and glory are given to Him in every thought, word, and act we do.

43.x. “Wilderness” – 8.d. “Pay attention to all that I have said to you”

Exodus 23:13  “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

Joshua 22:5   Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

 Joshua 23:11   Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God.

 Psalms 39:1   I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”

 Ephesians 5:15   Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

 1 Timothy 4:16    Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

 Deuteronomy 4:9    “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—

 Psalms 16:4    The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

And in all things that I have said unto you, be circumspect,…. Or observe them, be careful to keep them punctually and constantly, even all that are delivered in this and the preceding chapters: and make no mention of the name of other gods; neither call upon them, nor swear by them, nor make vows to them; and, as little as possible, ever utter their names, and never with pleasure and delight, and showing any honour of them, and reverence to them, but with the utmost detestation and abhorrence. (Gill)

We hear of those who are popular and how they have found some sort of inner peace through following after some form of religion/god. This god they worship is not the God of heaven and earth but rather a manifestation of man’s attempt at creating a god that seems more to their liking. They replace God with whatever seems right in their own eyes rather than seeking their creator. For whatever reason, they deny the one and only true God and chase after another. They replace God with man-made god(s) and proclaim to their followers that this is the way to true happiness. The same can be said of those who are not popular that follow after the same foolishness. 

God reached out to His creation. He spoke to them, did wonders and signs, and recorded His Word so that His creation might begin to understand and know Him. He proclaimed His holiness and mankind’s sinfulness. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem His creation, forgive their sins, and fill them with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, He gifted His creation to live with ever-growing knowledge and understanding of His grace, mercy, and love. He offers peace, rest, comfort, courage, joy, hope, faith, love, kindness, gentleness, generosity, and patience. Denying or rejecting all of this will leave a void in a person that wants to be filled. People will try to fill this in every way possible, but apart from God, it is not.  

Seek to ever-grow, understand, and know how to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that you think, say, and do every minute of every day.

43.g. “Wilderness” – 7.n. Sinai – “Now when all the people saw”

Exodus 20:18  Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

 Psalms 139:7-8    Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

 Isaiah 41:10   fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 Deuteronomy 13:3   For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

 Deuteronomy 8:2   And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

 Job 28:28     And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

 Proverbs 1:7    The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

 Proverbs 3:7   Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

 Joshua 24:14  “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.

 Deuteronomy 5:5    while I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD. For you were afraid because of the fire

 Psalms 97:2    Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

 1 Timothy 6:16   who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. 

Deuteronomy 5:23 explains why the mountain smoked; it says the mountain was burning with fire. The awe of all the phenomenon did nothing to draw the people closer to God; it only made them stand afar off. One might think that Israel loved the dramatic experience at Mount Sinai, and especially the honor of hearing God’s voice like a loudspeaker from heaven. Instead, because of the great awe and dread they felt, they wanted God to stop speaking to them directly. This is a typical reaction of those who came into the presence of God, such as Isaiah who felt undone before God (Isaiah 6:1-5) and John who fell as a dead man before the Lord (Revelation 1:17). The people promised to hear and (by implication) obey the word of God that came to them by Moses. In following generations, Israel interpreted the law downward, so it could be more easily obeyed, removing the heart and intent of the law. Jesus exposed this shallow understanding of the law in His Sermon on the Mount.

The people of Israel wanted to separate themselves from the manifest presence of God, but God meant it for good to test them. The test revealed to them what kind of God they served: a God above nature, personal, good, and holy. The test revealed to them their own weakness and need for God’s grace, help, and rescue. The test revealed to them what God’s expectations were, that God is a moral God who expects moral behavior from His people. That His fear may be before you speaks of the attitude of honor and reverence that leads to respect and obedience. Though it is better to obey God out of fear than to disobey Him, God’s ultimate motivation for obedience is love. This is clear from 1 John 4:18-19: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. Moses had a relationship with God the common man in Israel did not have. Through the circumstances of his life and the direct revelation of God, Moses was aware of both God’s holy power and also of God’s glorious grace. (Guzik)

This law, which is so extensive that we cannot measure it, so spiritual that we cannot evade it, and so reasonable that we cannot find fault with it, will be the rule of the future judgment of God, as it is for the present conduct of man. If tried by this rule, we shall find our lives have been passed in transgressions. And with this holy law and an awful judgment before us, who can despise the gospel of Christ? And the knowledge of the law shows our need of repentance. In every believer’s heart sin is dethroned and crucified, the law of God is written, and the image of God renewed. The Holy Spirit enables him to hate sin and flee from it, to love and keep this law in sincerity and truth; nor will he cease to repent. (Henry)

The Israelites drew near to the mountain. They were intrigued by what they saw and heard when the 10 commandments were given. Now in closeness to God and the power and might of presence, they heard and saw and felt the holy awesomeness of God and feared for their lives. 

What would our lives be like if we would have a reverent, trusting, and reliant fear of God? Would it be different than it is now? Would we fear, hate, anger, and be anxious less? Would we rejoice, praise, and worship more? Would we be content? Would greed, pride, and unkindness be not found in our lives? Would we run to the mountain of God or would we retreat to what we believe is a safe distance? Would we desire to be in the continual presence of God? Would we want to hear His voice with a desire to obey it for His honor and glory? Would things of this earth become less distracting and things of God become more encompassing? Would we know joy and peace that passes all understanding? Would we be more generous? Would we discern the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit leading us? Would the Word of God be precious to us? Would our thoughts, words, and actions be in line with honor and glory to Jesus Christ? Would we hunger and thirst for His Word and leading so that this honor and glory would be pure?  Would we??????

40.s. “He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them”

 

 

Exodus 3:7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. 

 Psalms 22:24   For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

 Psalms 34:4   I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

 Psalms 34:6     This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

 Psalms 106:44    Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry.

 Psalms 145:19    He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

 Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

400 years, or close to it, God’s chosen people were oppressed.  Think about that.  We declared our independence from England 246 years ago. Add another 154 years to our history and have us living under oppression this whole time and this would be the life of Israelites for generation after generation.  400 years.  During these 400 years of oppression, God knew what was going on. God saw it. Year after year it continued.  If you had not known freedom and this was the only life you knew, would it make it bearable? No. However, it might make it seem like this is just the way things are, always have been, and always will be.  What hope would you have for the present? What hope would you have for the future?  It would seem hopeless for life any better.  

400 years.  I still have a hard time putting this into perspective. The Bible is filled with example after example of God’s protective and mighty hand defending and bringing rather quick resolution. It is also filled with examples of His seeming delays.  Of course, we can look to and trust God when He answers immediate prayers. What kind of faith can wait year after year, knowing the promises of God, claiming these promises, believing them, trusting in them, but not seeing tangible evidence of them?  This kind of faith keeps eyes, heart, mind, and soul focused on God and not the circumstance or situation.  This kind of faith knows without a doubt that God is able and limitless in what He can do. This kind of faith says; “God is able, but if in His plan and purpose I do not see His hand at work I know He is watching over me. He loves me. He will strengthen me. He is God.”

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  

38.x. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God”

 

From Compelling Truth

 

Judges 15:14   But the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon Samson

Psalm 51:11  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

1 Chronicles 12:18  Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty

1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

Ezekiel 11:5   Then the Spirit of the LORD came on me, and he told me to say:

John 14:17   the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Ephesians 1:7   In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Colossians 1:27   To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1 John 4:15   If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.

Titus 3:5   he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

Romans 8:15–17  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

John 3:1–8   Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

1 Corinthians 2:12  What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Romans 8:14  For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Galatians 5:22–23   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

Romans 8:26  n the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

1 Corinthians 12:13   For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is God taking up permanent residence in the heart of those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come intermittently upon the saints, empowering them for service but not necessarily remaining with them. The Spirit “rushed upon” Lehi  and “clothed” Amasai. The Spirit was with David and able to be removed from him, and the Spirit “fell upon” Ezekiel and spoke to him . The Spirit, who had once been with King Saul, “departed from” him, removing His influence and guidance from the king .

It wasn’t until Pentecost that the Spirit began to indwell those who belong to God through Christ. Jesus predicted the coming of the Spirit who would live within His people, as well as the new role the Spirit of Truth would play in their lives. Prior to the resurrection and Pentecost, the Spirit was with the disciples and influenced them, but He did not yet indwell them, as Jesus explained to them: “he dwells with you and will be in you”. John 7:39 explains further: “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

The apostle Paul reiterated the same truth about the Spirit’s indwelling: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body”. Because believers have been purchased for God by the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for our sins, our bodies become a living temple where the Spirit of God resides.

The image of the believer’s body being a temple is reminiscent of the Old Testament tabernacle, in which the Spirit of God lived. There, God’s presence would appear in a cloud and meet the high priest, who came once a year into the Holy of Holies. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest brought the blood of a slain animal and sprinkled it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. On this special day, God granted forgiveness to the priest and His people.

The Jewish temple in Jerusalem no longer exists. Now the believer in Christ has become the inner sanctum of God the Holy Spirit, as the believer has been sanctified and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. In fact, Scripture also says that the believer is the dwelling place of all three Persons of the Trinity. Along with the Spirit, Jesus Christ is in us, as is God the Father.

The purpose of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is many-faceted. First and foremost, the Spirit creates new life in believers (), producing the same new birth Jesus spoke of in . The Spirit confirms to us that this new birth is real and that we truly belong to God (). He also imparts to believers spiritual gifts to be used to build up the body of Christ and glorify God (1 Corinthians 12:4–11). Further, as the author of Scripture through the writers He inspired (), the indwelling Spirit helps believers understand what He has written and how to apply it to daily life ().

Other functions of the indwelling Spirit include interceding for believers in prayer, leading us in the ways of righteous living, producing His fruit in our lives, and installing believers into the universal church of Christ, also called the baptism of the Spirit.

One of the indwelling Spirit’s most encouraging functions is to seal believers for eternity by placing His own mark upon us. Doing so assures our arrival in the Lord’s presence when we die (Ephesians 1:13–14, 4:30). The Holy Spirit’s presence within us is the guarantee that we have been purchased by Christ and redeemed from our sins. We can never lose our position as a prized possession. Until we die, the Spirit remains within us, renewing and sanctifying us, comforting us in trials, and sustaining us in afflictions. With the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are never alone, never lost, and never without His power.

34.w. “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”

 

Matthew 22:29  But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

 Job 19:25-27    For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,  whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.

 Psalms 16:9-11    Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.  For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.  You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 Isaiah 26:19    Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

 Jeremiah 32:17    ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

 Genesis 18:14    Is anything too hard for the LORD?

 Acts 26:8    Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

 Mark 12:27   He is not God of the dead, but of the living.

In this world, death takes away one after another, and so ends all earthly hopes, joys, sorrows, and connections. How wretched are those who look for nothing better beyond the grave! If a person does not understand scripture they will not understand even less of faith in the Power of God. It is possible for a person to have much Bible knowledge, yet not fundamentally know the Scriptures. The Sadducees denied supernatural truths such as the existence of angelic beings and the bodily resurrection. They had a fundamental doubt about the power of God to do beyond what they could measure and understand in the material world; many today are like the Sadducees in this respect.

“If you knew the power of God, you would know that God is able to raise the dead…If you knew the Scriptures, you would know that God will raise the dead.” (Poole)

Know this, God will raise the dead, some to eternal life and some to eternal torment. To know Jesus Christ and have a relationship with Him, having faith in Him, relying on Him, trusting Him, following Him, obeying Him, is much different than knowing of Him and putting your trust in the knowledge of Him rather than knowing Him. Resurrection from the dead will happen just as eternal judgment will happen. Having a knowing relationship with Jesus Christ assures the promise of eternal life just as not knowing or having a relationship with Him promises eternal torment. A person intentionally chooses to have this trusting and reliant relationship with Jesus or not. This choice will result in your eternal destiny. Every person is without excuse for the whole and entire Word of God proclaims this from beginning to end.